


What Once Was Could Still Be

by Jean_Queerstein



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Courtesy of the ackermans, Erwin is a hopeless bachelor. Helpless like a big baby, Fluff and Humor, Levi is a snippy gremlin, M/M, Maybe angst? If I feel saucy, Rating May Change, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21736627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jean_Queerstein/pseuds/Jean_Queerstein
Summary: Reincarnation AU where Erwin is a hopeless romantic looking for Levi who he isn’t even sure actually exists.
Relationships: Kenny Ackerman/Uri Reiss, Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 66
Kudos: 93





	1. Fate.. ?

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic of any kind ever. I posted the first chapter on twitter as a test and I’m moving it here so I can save it for future chapters. Enjoy ^_^

Erwin slid a key into a lock he’d soon familiarize himself with. Another failed relationship, another new apartment for him to adjust to. It was always so lonely the first few weeks. He hated how quiet it was, how still the air felt, how the bland walls seemed to mock his emptiness with their own. He thought maybe he should get a dog. Was that pathetic.. to seek companionship he knew would never fail? It felt like cheating. 

Erwin truly felt he was always to blame. “Not today, please.” He begged himself as he tossed the keys onto his new kitchen counter. One day, that’s all he asked for. One day where he didn’t rip himself apart wondering what the fuck was wrong with him. 

He sat a bag of ‘groceries’ on the counter. He used the term very lightly. Erwin was a bachelor in every sense of the word. He didn’t intend to burn his new apartment down with what he considered cooking. He just popped a meal in the microwave and let it go. 

Erwin stopped and looked around, taking a minute to soak in what he called his new home. He had no motivation to decorate despite how much he loved home goods stores. Part of him felt like there was no point if he couldn’t share it with someone. Who would he bring over anyway? Mike? Nile? They’d probably just tease his decor choices anyway. Erwin blew a frustrated sigh from his nose and crossed his arms. He leaned back against the counter and pouted childishly. It wasn’t fair. 

Erwin zoned out momentarily while throwing his own mini mental tantrum when the beep of the microwave startled him. “Son of bi-“ his whole body shook from the scare. Erwin grumbled something inappropriate under his breath and pulled the microwave door open. He tried to pull the meal out with his bare hands, cursing each second of steamed pain until he dropped it onto a plate. “Jesus-“ Erwin rolled his eyes. He picked the plate up and walked it to the living room. Erwin turned on his tv and sat on his couch. 

It all felt so familiar, like clockwork. He couldn’t help but trap himself in his own thoughts the way he begged himself not to do earlier. Why did he have to be this way? Each previous partner always said the same thing. ‘I just feel like you’re not invested in me as much as I’m invested in you.’ They’d say like a mantra. The wording was almost exactly the same every time. Erwin sometimes wondered if his exes all communicated with each other to match stories. 

The truth was, Erwin couldn’t deny it. He wasn’t as invested and he couldn’t fully comprehend why. Well, he knew why, but it didn’t make any sense. All he had really ever wanted was the type of companionship he saw on tv or the way his parents loved each other. 

He tried so hard to let go of the dreams because that’s all they were.. right? He had tried to get help once, but it had turned sour fast. Erwin knew no sensible person would believe him. They shouldn’t have, but in his defense, it always felt so real. Dreaming was strange. Usually he woke not remembering much other than a general idea. However, these dreams were different. Erwin remembered everything. That’s why it felt so real. Even with his closest friends, but they didn’t seem to experience the same 

He had met Mike and Nile at such a young age that he couldn’t decide if his brain superimposed them into his dreams or if they were truly a part of the memory. Erwin felt like it was infuriating not having black and white answers.

He remembered once, seeing someone on the street, someone Erwin swore he knew. The undeniable familiarity of the stranger was the whole reason Erwin couldn’t stop himself from believing maybe /he/ was out there somewhere. “Levi-“ Erwin was used to saying the name out loud. He found himself doing it sometimes just to soothe his heavy heart. It ended a relationship once. Erwin must’ve been dreaming. His girlfriend at the time had told him he’d /sighed/ Levi’s name. 

Erwin had been extremely embarrassed because he knew what the dream had been about specifically and it had definitely not been appropriate in any sense. In fact, it had been down right filthy. His girlfriend had told him to pack his shit after that. Erwin couldn’t blame her. He probably would’ve done the same. A huge part of him never wanted to give up on the idea of levi being real. But even if he was, there were eight billion people in the world. What were the odds Erwin would even find him?

What if Levi was already married? What if Levi didn’t know who Erwin was? There were just.. so many scenarios that could shatter Erwin’s heart. Was it worth even trying? It didn’t seem to matter because Erwin had become obsessed any time he left his home anyway. He looked at every passing face, no stone unturned. Sometimes if he couldn’t see someone’s face, he’d ‘accidentally’ run into them. Pathetic, really. But Erwin had grown to not care. He felt like he searched the world for Levi. Whenever he traveled for work, he took full advantage of the opportunities. Everyone could call him crazy all they wanted but In Erwin’s heart, he knew Levi was out there. Maybe Levi was even waiting for him.

Erwin bit his lip and enjoyed the little flutter of his heart when he thought of the most romantic meeting possible. They’d lock eyes and recognize each other immediately. Levi wasn’t the best with words in the dreams but this was a different world, a calmer world. Maybe Levi learned to relax and maybe even smile more. Erwin hoped so. Levi had a beautifully awkward smile. He closed his eyes and let himself really picture the moment. Maybe all of Erwin’s waiting would pay off someday. 

The one nice thing about his new home was that it was walking distance from work. Erwin didn’t like to drive if he didn’t have to. He wanted to walk as often as possible and maybe that was driven by his obsession to creepily eyeball passing faces.

After the first week, the faces became repetitive. Erwin then decided to take a different way to work. Another week passed and those faces became repetitive too. So, again, Erwin changed his route. He looked through shop windows and all. Erwin knew it was silly to feel as frustrated as he was, but he’d kinda hoped maybe fate would have put them in the same city. He’d always been a hopeless romantic. He didn’t feel stupid for searching. Erwin had exhausted all embarrassment ages ago.

Once, he’d set up an online dating profile describing his perfect match as everything Levi was and ridiculously hoped the man would find it and reply. After that, Erwin knew he couldn’t be more pathetic so he simply embraced it.

After a particularly hard morning, Erwin decided to stop in a shop he passed on his newest route to work every day. He hated coffee. Bitter was a taste Erwin absolutely couldn’t stand. Maybe because he had enough pent up bitterness in his life without the coffee. Okay, he knew he was being dramatic but he couldn’t help it. Erwin lightly tapped his own cheeks to wake him up a little more. He ordered a drink that had the most cream and sugar in it as possible. The poor girl behind the counter had to walk him through the entire menu.

“I’m so sorry, I’m new at this.” Erwin laughed sheepishly. He waited at the end of the counter for his name to be called. Erwin thanked the barista kindly after picking up his cup. He lifted it to smell the flavor. It actually smelled quite good, but Erwin was distracted when he turned around. He thought it smelled very comforting and sort of.. lost himself in a moment of peace without noticing another body behind him. With a forced ‘oof’ he knocked into a smaller man behind him. 

Erwin felt like he was having an out of body experience. Time seemed to stop as he watched the brand new hot cup of sugar with a splash of coffee slip right from his hand. His eyes widened as he watched it collide with the top right shoulder of the man now in front of him.

‘If I could just die now, it would solve more than one of my problems.’ Erwin thought to himself immediately. “I am so sor-“ he didn’t get a chance to finish before the other man reacted, and Erwin was most definitely not prepared. “What. The. FUCK.” 

Erwin’s heart pounded as the man punctuated each word but it wasn’t the anger that seized every cell in Erwin’s body. No.. the voice- /that/ voice. Erwin almost vomited on the spot. Thank god he didn’t. He wasn’t sure this man could handle another mess. No- because Levi hated dirt and mess. Erwin’s eyes lit up and he couldn’t stop the smile on his face. “Oh for fuck’s sake, what planet are you on to look as happy as you do for just ruining my fucking suit?! You shitty fucking Barbadian-“ 

The voice just kept going. Erwin didn’t even notice when the now empty coffee cup was thrown at his own suit. He didn’t care about the residual splashes on his white button down. He didn’t care about anything actually. Not until he realized Levi was walking away. Erwin’s eyes widened for a different reason and he went after the smaller man. “Wait!” He called for him, hoping Levi turned around. “Why? So you can shove a danish up my ass next?! I think you’ve done enough damage today, fucking asshole.” ‘That’s not exactly what I wanted to shove up your ass but-‘ Erwin slapped himself to get a grip. He didn’t have time to have a private moment with himself when Levi was right there.. right in front of him. 

Levi was still leaving and hurling insults at him, but Erwin didn’t care. “No wait-“ he reached for Levi but the smaller kept going, clearly trying to rid himself of the blond as quickly as possible. Erwin ran after him anyway but lost Levi in the crowd. 

It was weird, standing there with a stupid look on his face. Maybe it wasn’t the romantic meeting he’d always hoped for or let himself day dream about, but Erwin watched in the direction the smaller man had gone with the most disgusting love sick smile on his face. He felt like the clouds parted and angels were singing. His whole body felt so light and his heart soared with a newfound hope he’d lost so many years ago. Every effort he’d made wasn’t a waste. Erwin wasn’t crazy.

Levi was real, and Erwin had just ruined his three thousand dollar Armani suit. Through the cloud of absolute bliss and validation, reality seemed to set in slowly. The smile on his face faltered a little. Levi was real and Erwin had just ruined his suit. “Oh, fuck me.”


	2. Overthinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let’s check in on Erwin after his run in with Levi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 a little setting up for good things to come next ^_^

Erwin must’ve stood in the same spot for at least fifteen minutes while the world around him continued to move. He had no idea what to do next, but he knew he couldn’t just leave Levi alone now. Erwin frowned a little. Levi hadn’t said anything to him to indicate familiarity. Maybe Levi hadn’t properly seen Erwin. He had mentioned Erwin looked a little too pleased with himself for just ruining an expensive suit. However.. Levi could have also been  
blinded by absolute rage. Erwin laughed quietly to himself. How very.. Levi. An expensive suit like that.. must’ve meant Levi was someone important. Maybe Erwin could google him later. But first, he needed to help the poor barista clean up an atrocious mess.

“I truly am so sorry.” Erwin repeated profusely to the poor girl who looked so rattled. Erwin helped her clean up the mess and she remade his drink for him. “Have a really nice day.” Erwin smiled and tipped her generously for her trouble. 

He left the shop deep in thought as he finished his walk to work. How was he supposed to focus now knowing his Levi was real and breathing... and so incredibly pissed at Erwin. He groaned inwardly and took a sip of the hot sugary cream he still dared to call coffee. He thought about Levi’s pricey suit again. Maybe Levi was an actor! But Erwin probably would have seen him somewhere before now. He was admittedly a bit of a tv junkie. Erwin pinched his brows together in thought. Maybe Levi was a CEO of a really important company? He certainly had the attitude to run an empire. But, again, Erwin thought he might have seen Levi before now if that had been true. Erwin hummed to himself, barely avoiding the traffic of people on the sidewalk with him. 

‘What do I know about Levi that could help me?’ He thought to himself. ‘He’s extremely empathetic. Hard on the outside but definitely a soft gooey mess on the inside. He helped a lot of people back then.’ Erwin continued his internal monologue. Maybe Levi was a doctor! Erwin brightened. He could see it.. sort of. But Erwin knew Levi couldn’t.. tactfully give bad news. Erwin cringed a little imagining Levi telling an unfortunate human being that they had high cholesterol or something. 

Erwin wanted to rip his hair out. What could Levi have possibly been in this life? He walked into his work building and took the elevator to his floor. “You look unusually stressed today.” Erwin heard someone address him. “Huh? Oh, I spilled coffee on someone really important.. I think.” Erwin explained bluntly. “You think?” They asked. “I mean, I don’t know him, but I definitely destroyed a very expensive suit.” Erwin went on but stopped there. He was humiliated all over again. 

He had just stood there smiling!! Like an idiot!! ‘God, I’m fucked.’ Erwin thought to himself as he walked to his office. Levi surely hated him and now Erwin would have to wiggle his way back into Levi’s good graces. It shouldn’t have been too hard. Erwin had done it a thousand times before. Hopefully this Levi liked tea too and if he didn’t, well, Erwin was truly fucked. He fired up his computer once he was sat at his desk. Erwin had no idea how he was supposed to edit a single thing that day. 

He could barely remember his own name, let alone handle someone else’s work professionally. Maybe he should have taken a sick day... “ugh!” Erwin threw himself back against his computer chair and covered his face with his hands. Erwin decided to just wait until he got home before thinking anymore on it. He couldn’t ignore his responsibilities now just because he had a personal issue. With newfound determination, Erwin straightened up and put his hands on his keyboard. 

That lasted all of fifteen minutes before Nile walked into Erwin’s office and saw the blond’s head on his desk. “Are you.. whining?” Nile asked in mild disgust after hearing a disturbing noise coming from Erwin. “Leave me here to die, Nile.” Erwin mumbled with his cheek pressed against the surface of his desk. “God, you are so dramatic.” Nile his eyes. He walked up to Erwin to get a better look at the blond. “Why the hell is your shirt stained with coffee?” Nile asked. 

“Because in this dark pit of life, I finally found my light but I.. broke the bulb.” Erwin whimpered, eyes focused on nothing in particular. “Oh Jesus. I’m so disgusted right now.” Nile looked around the office hoping for another witness because he hoped he was hallucinating. “I don’t even want to ask you what’s wrong.” Nile picked up a pen and poked Erwin’s shoulder with it. “Pull yourself together. This is pathetic.” He demanded. “You’re so mean to me, Nile. So unsympathetic to my pain.”

Erwin finally batted the pen away after Nile poked Erwin’s forehead with it, leaving a tiny ink dot in its place. “Go home, come back tomorrow. Hopefully without this.. whatever crisis you’re having.” Nile looked so awkward standing there. Erwin huffed and finally sat up, unsticking his face from the desk. “Okay.” He shut his computer down and cleaned up his space. Erwin followed Nile out of the office and locked the door behind him. It did him no good to mope at work. 

Before actually leaving though, Erwin turned to look at Nile. He wished he knew for sure if Nile was really a part of the memory. He and Mike never talked about any weird dreams though. Maybe only certain people remembered. That made Erwin nervous. What if Levi was one of them that did not remember anything? “Erwin, go home.” Nile said a little more sternly. “Huh?” He looked up after being shaken from his thoughts. “Oh- yeah.. sorry about the trouble. I think.. it’ll be okay.” Erwin promised his friend and colleague. 

“Yeah well, even on your weirdest days you usually turn out relatively normal so.. I’m not worried.” Nile softened a little. Erwin nodded his head. “Yeah, thank you. See you tomorrow.” He waved goodbye and finally got onto the elevator. 

His heart was heavy most of the way home. Erwin was scared. If Levi didn’t remember, would it be wrong for Erwin to pursue him? He so desperately wanted to say no but.. maybe it would be a little like taking advantage of Levi. Erwin frowned at the thought. He would never do such a thing. He’d never want to hurt Levi like that. So, with that in mind, Erwin tried to use the walk back to his apartment to prepare himself for the worst. It didn’t work very well. 

He went straight home knowing exactly what he wanted to do. He’d google Levi and find out just what the smaller did for a living. He felt like that was a good start. Erwin momentarily panicked though. What if Levi’s name wasn’t Levi in this time? He shook it off, telling himself there was no point in freaking until he was sure. Levi was in this city, that much Erwin knew for sure. He opened his apartment door and dropped his bag by his shoes. He didn’t bother to put anything away. Erwin was on a mission. 

He grabbed his laptop and sat on the couch. Erwin’s heart pounded in his chest, making him even more nervous. He opened a google page and typed, ‘Levi Ackerman’. Watching the loading bar was definitely the longest fifteen seconds of his life. Of course it was slow when he absolutely needed it to work fast. Erwin’s breath caught in his throat when the search page finally pulled up. His eyes were wide and his smile was as creepy as ever. There Levi was, at the top of the page, in a nice suit just like before. Each news headline was a little different but they all pointed to the same thing. The corner of Erwin’s smile twitched in an odd satisfaction as he opened one of the links. Levi was, surprisingly, a lawyer. 

Some of the sites came with a building address and a phone number. Erwin stared at his screen mischievously. He saved one particular link and then moved on. Erwin now knew enough information to at least find Levi again. 

It didn’t make sense to Erwin though. Lawyers were cruel, and they lied all the time. Was Levi really like that now? Was he deceitful and money hungry? No, Erwin refused to believe that. He opened more links. There were all kinds of different lawyers. After several minutes of thorough research, Erwin came to the pleasant conclusion that Levi served as a child advocacy lawyer. His smile brightened even more. Now it made sense. Levi fought for children who couldn’t fight for themselves.

Now /that/ was believable. Erwin covered his mouth and suppressed a horribly obnoxious grin even though he was home alone. He scrolled a little and clicked on a video of Levi coming out of a courthouse. Erwin turned the volume up as loud as it would go. He heard the reporter asking a slew of questions while Levi walked by. But in true Levi fashion, the smaller man sneered at the camera and pushed it into the cameraman. It was followed by an unpleasant ‘oof’ from the poor man. 

Erwin’s breathing stopped when he heard Levi speak. Oh his voice was so beautiful. Erwin melted all over again, playing the simple line over and over. He rewound the video by four seconds maybe thirty times. 

He couldn’t help it. Erwin had waited his whole life to hear that voice again. His heart spilled with an overflow of affection and admiration. He smiled, Love sick and absolutely smitten at the video sound of Levi’s unfortunately censored, “get that thing out of my f****** face.”


	3. Taking a Leap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin tries his best, meets kenny, and gets way more than he bargained for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Erwin and Kenny don’t meet in canon, it was a lot of fun writing their interactions. Enjoy!

Erwin thought knowing Levi existed would make things much easier than they were before. But, oh lord, he was so naive. After Erwin had officially realized he could find Levi at any time and walk up to his office, the nerves really began to set it. He had paced around the living room for hours talking to himself, fake introducing himself to the one houseplant he owned hoping it would help him figure out how to approach Levi. It didn’t. 

Erwin thought maybe he should just show up and introduce himself like normal. Maybe Levi wouldn’t even recognize Erwin as the man that spilled coffee all over him. That was a risky plan. Erwin chewed on his lower lip in thought. He wondered if just showing up and staring at Levi until the smaller recognized him was a good idea but knowing Levi? No. Erwin groaned helplessly. He finally decided that the one best way to approach Levi… was to apologize for ruining the expensive suit. 

Erwin grimaced. If Levi demanded Erwin replace it, he couldn’t afford that. He hoped Levi showed some sympathy, or better yet, remembered Erwin. There was still that chance and Erwin had to hold on to some hope for it. It was a risk he was willing to take. Erwin took a deep breath and walked to his bedroom. He rummaged through his closet to pick an outfit he wanted to meet Levi in. 

He felt like a little teenage girl, two seconds away from writing ‘Erwin Ackerman’ in a notebook thirty times in different fonts. Choosing an outfit was hard when Erwin felt like so much was on the line. He settled on some dark slacks and a soft light colored sweater. It was a nice, casual outfit that made Erwin approachable. “Okay, Erwin. You got this. No big deal, you know Levi. It’ll be fine.” He told himself in his bathroom mirror while he fixed his hair. Erwin pouted a little and rubbed the ink dot off of his forehead courtesy of Nile. 

Erwin took one more once over in the mirror and decided he looked good. He thought he’d try to stop and pick some tea for Levi. Maybe that would soften the blow. Erwin left his apartment after locking it up and decided he’d walk. He supposed he didn’t need to anymore now that he had found Levi but.. Erwin was comforted by it. He tried to remember what kind of tea Levi liked but that was a hard question when there had only been very few kinds before. 

Erwin had not prepared himself for the wall to wall options of tea. Now this was impossible and he was incredibly overwhelmed. “Oh my god.” He covered his face and whined. “Uh..” Erwin squinted at the tea boxes. Surely Levi didn’t care for fruity teas.. that was more of an Erwin thing. Floral? Maybe? Maybe Erwin should just grab several kinds. That was safest, he thought. 

Feeling mildly confident in his purchase, Erwin carried the bag down the street towards Levi’s office building. He checked the address several times to make sure he was going the right way. Every time, it checked out okay. The closer he got the harder his heart beat. Erwin’s fingers tingled in excitement. Maybe this meeting would be better than the last. It would have to be, right? Erwin made sure he did not bring any liquid with him to cause any disaster again. 

Erwin practiced what he would say in his head while he hugged the bag of tea. His fingers tingled excitedly against the decorated paper bag. He couldn’t wait to see Levi again even though the smaller was definitely angry with Erwin. He knew he was getting close when he saw all sorts of people in suits walking around. The area was full of law firms. Erwin smiled to himself, promising it would be okay. He checked the address one more time and found the street corner it sat on. When he laid eyes on Levi’s building, he saw a very tall and lanky man leaning against the building smoking. 

Erwin furrowed his brows. He couldn’t help but think the man’s face kinda… kinda looked like Levi. He hummed quietly trying to remember any details about Levi’s family. He.. had a.. brother? No, that didn’t sound right. Surely not a father.. Levi definitely never talked about one.. he had a mom then.. Erwin remembered Levi mentioning her a couple of times. His mother was.. not an only child. Uncle! Levi had an uncle! And now that Erwin remembered, this had to be Levi’s uncle Kenny. 

He had never met Kenny back then but he never forgot the recap of events Levi relaid to him after Erwin’s imprisonment. “Oi, whatcha starin’ at?” A very gruff voice broke Erwin out of his own head. He must’ve been staring.. oops. “Ah! Ha.. sorry. Just lost in thought!” Erwin reassured the older man. “But.. is this Levi Ackerman’s office?” He asked. Kenny pushed himself off of the wall and nodded. “Yeah this is it. Got some business with him, er somethin’?” Erwin paled a little. 

“Yeah, I guess. I came to uh.. apologize. I spilled coffee all over his suit and I thought I should personally say sorry.” Erwin laughed a little sheepishly. “Oh hell, you’re the guy who spilled coffee on him?” Kenny cackled loudly, making Erwin more nervous. Levi told his family already? Oh god.. “Well, it’s nice of ya to want to make amends. He don’t deserve that. Kid’s a shit head.” Kenny scoffed. Erwin was about to reply something along the lines of, no Levi isn’t that bad, but the man in question interrupted the conversation by bursting through the front door of his building. 

“How many times have I told you to not smoke in front of my building?!” He hissed at Kenny. The older man pretended to think about it for a second. “Guess not enough times. Cause here I am.” He waved the cigarette in front of Levi’s face a little. Levi’s jaw tightened and he smacked it right out of his uncle’s hand. “Well now, that was just rude.” Kenny flicked Levi’s forehead. “God, I wish you’d just drop dead sometimes.” Levi hissed. “I’m old. It’s comin’.” Kenny shrugged the comment off. “Drop faster.” Levi snipped. “Don’t ya think that would break your poor Uncle Uri’s heart to hear ya say that?” Kenny pouted. “Uri is the only reason I tolerate you.” Levi answered. 

Erwin just stared at them while the two bickered back and forth. It would have been funny if Levi hadn’t been angry. Now he’d just be double angry when he saw Erwin. “Yer bein’ rude to yer guest. Poor guy came all the way here just to apologize to ya for spillin’ that coffee on yer suit.” Kenny put his hands on his hips while he pretended to lecture Levi like a child. “The what-?!” Levi whipped his head towards Erwin. “Oh, you.” He grit the words out. Erwin stiffened and laughed nervously. “Oh boy, this seems like a bad time. I’ll come back later!” He waved. “Oh no you don’t. Don’t you dare move.” Levi warned him and turned back to Kenny. “You, leave.” He pushed his uncle away from the building. “Okay okay. I’m goin’. Only came here to drop some lunch to Uri. Rude ass.” Kenny sneered and walked to his truck. 

Once Kenny was finally a safe distance away, Levi turned to Erwin who looked wildly uncomfortable. “Ah, yeah, so.. sorry.. about your suit.. and I’m- yeah.” Erwin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He shifted his eyes towards Levi to study him for a second longer before dropping the bomb. “I’m Erwin Smith.” He introduced himself. To anyone who didn’t know Levi, what Erwin saw would have gone completely unnoticed. But not to the blond. Levi had little tells. There. Erwin thought to himself while his heart pounded in his chest. He saw just the slightest bit of recognition on Levi’s face. Unfortunately for Erwin, just as fast as it came, it was gone. Levi’s face hardened. 

“I don’t care.” Levi looked away from Erwin’s face. It seemed almost deliberate. “Mm. Of course. Well, I brought you some tea. Wasn’t sure what you liked but I hope I struck some kind of gold in here.” Erwin held the bag out to Levi which went completely ignored. “Are you here to pay for the suit you ruined?” Levi asked. Erwin accidentally snorted at the question and then blushed. “Ah, no. I’m sorry. No way I could afford that.” He admitted. “Maybe I should sue you then.” Levi responded with narrowed eyes. “Maybe. But I doubt you’re the kind of person who cares more about a suit than the human being who can’t afford to replace it.” Erwin smiled sweetly. Levi sneered. The expression made him look more like Kenny. “And what makes you think you know anything about me?” He asked. 

Erwin smiled softly but confidently. He watched Levi very carefully. “Because I am Erwin Smith. And you are Levi Ackerman.” He answered simply. “And that’s supposed to mean something to me?” Levi snatched the bag of tea out of Erwin’s hands and walked back to his office building. Erwin deflated a little at the response but he wouldn’t give up. Not when Levi was right there in front of him. “Yeah, well, it means something to me. Are you telling me it really means nothing to you?” Erwin asked. His heart was in his throat. He watched Levi’s reaction. The skin on the back of Levi’s hand pulled as his fingers on the edge of the door tightened subtly. His back was to Erwin while he tried to escape the whole encounter. Erwin felt like he waited an eternity for Levi’s answer, but his heart dropped clear down into the pit of his stomach when he heard a sharp, “No.” Erwin, with a horribly empty feeling in his chest, watched Levi’s form disappear into the building. He had tried to prepare himself for anything, but nothing could have prepared Erwin for that blatant raw rejection. 

Erwin had waited his entire life for that moment. He had played over and over, every possible scenario he could think of when they first met. It took him several minutes to tear himself away from the spot he’d been rooted to. Erwin took his walk home now wishing he’d driven. The walk felt too long now.. Maybe he’d convinced himself Levi recognized him because he’d wanted Levi to so badly. Erwin had taken a big risk and put himself out there for Levi to see and it had blown up in his face. How was he supposed to leave Levi alone now? The smaller clearly wanted nothing to do with Erwin, entirely unaware of how much Erwin wanted Levi. With his newfound hope already shattered in a matter of one day, Erwin forced himself to his apartment, opened the front door, and fell on his couch face down. He let himself feel the heartbreak and disappointment for awhile until he decided it was time to figure out a new strategy. Erwin forced himself to sit up and pulled himself together. Levi didn’t remember him.. but maybe.. Erwin could help him remember.


	4. Round Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erwin tries again but this time, he gets a little help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only Uri Reiss has legal rights to uwu

After an entire afternoon of thinking about his next step, Erwin settled on getting as much sleep as possible. The last thing he needed on top of the craziness was sleep deprivation to make it worse. He just couldn’t stop thinking about Levi. It still hurt to think about the way Levi had flat out rejected him, but Erwin wasn’t ready to give up. He wasn’t ready to deny what he saw as momentary recognition. Erwin figured maybe Levi knew him but didn’t know he knew him. Maybe Levi had the dreams but couldn’t remember them specifically. Whatever it was, Erwin intended on finding out. He decided he’d go back to Levi’s office in the morning. The smaller man would definitely hate that but Erwin couldn’t get anywhere if he didn’t take any risks. 

By the next morning, Erwin felt a lot more refreshed and the sting of rejection had softened substantially. He let himself remember that Levi had eventually taken the tea from him. That meant Erwin hadn’t been wrong in bringing it. He took that as a good step forward. Levi hadn’t really let Erwin truly apologize for the suit incident so he figured he’d go back that morning with more confidence. Stammering over himself didn’t do Erwin any favors. He hoped Kenny would not be there this time to further agitate Levi. That had really not worked in Erwin’s favor the day before. 

After choosing some blue jeans and a grey polo shirt, Erwin fixed his hair and cleaned himself up nicely. He texted Nile saying he needed another personal day. It wasn’t a big deal since Erwin rarely took time off anyway. Nile responded telling Erwin good, he didn’t want the blond to come back until he was less of a weird mess. Figuring that would be his friend’s response, Erwin pocketed his phone and headed for the door. He had to remain as positive as possible. Erwin’s personal motto had always been, hope for the best, plan for the worst. As much as he had tried to plan for the worst the day before, he’d done a pretty shitty job of it. Erwin was far more determined that morning than before. He knew what to expect now and having more information only helped him. 

Remembering that there hadn’t really been any good places to park around the firm, Erwin decided to walk again. The fresh air was probably the best thing for him at the time. He needed a chance to clear his mind and not overwhelm himself with what ifs. Erwin had to be okay with whatever happened. He could only control himself in any given situation, so he knew he needed better control than he had previously. Erwin took the time to consider what a tough nut Levi had been to crack before. They hadn’t exactly met under the best circumstances… in fact, they were pretty terrible. Erwin laughed a little to himself. Levi had still eventually come around and the scenario then had been a lot worse than some spilled coffee now. That helped ease Erwin’s anxiety over the whole ordeal. Levi was a good person with a good heart. He was just.. feral sometimes…. like a cat. 

As he neared the front entrance of Levi’s building, he felt the butterflies in his stomach flutter harder. Erwin swallowed them down and used a passing reflection to check his appearance. He pushed a fallen strand of hair back into place and closed the distance between himself and the door. He felt a warm sense of pride as he read Levi’s name on the front of it. Levi had really made a name for himself doing some real good for kids who couldn’t speak for themselves. Erwin smiled to himself and opened the door. The lobby was really nice.. inviting and friendly. He supposed it had to be considering the clientele Levi dealt with were children. ‘That explains the toys.’ Erwin thought to himself as he eyed a corner of chairs and colorful children’s toys. 

“Good morning, can I help you?” A very friendly voice broke Erwin out of his own head. He looked up at the front desk and saw a small older man smiling at him.

“Good morning.” Erwin greeted back with a smile just as warm. “I’m Uh.. well, I’m here to see Levi.” 

He walked closer to the desk and saw a name plate. ‘Uri..?’ Erwin thought about it for a minute. Why did that sound familiar? Then a memory from the day before hit him. Kenny had said before leaving, ‘Okay okay. I’m goin’. Only came here to drop some lunch to Uri. Rude ass.’ So this was Kenny’s.. friend? Erwin scratched the back of his head.

“Oh, he’s in a meeting right now but he should be done soon. Did you have an appointment?” Uri asked kindly.

“Oh- no, I don’t. You might have heard but I’m the guy that spilled coffee on him the other day.” Erwin laughed a little nervously. He watched Uri’s eyes widened in realization. 

“Oh my goodness. You certainly set him off all day. I kept trying to tell him it’s just a suit. That it’s fine. But once Levi is in a mood, it’s hard to snap him out of it.” Uri rolled his eyes but Erwin could hear the fondness in the older man’s tone. Wait.. Kenny had called Uri ‘uncle uri’ to Levi. He blushed a light pink. Were Kenny and Uri..? 

“Well, I feel really bad and I came here yesterday to apologize but..” Erwin chewed on his lower lip. 

“Oh, but my husband was outside only agitating Levi more and.. oh bless your heart. I’m so sorry. I tell kenny every time he stops by that he just needs to go straight back to his truck.” Uri shook his head. 

“Oh no, don’t apologize! I clearly have a way with terrible timing.” Erwin smiled, appreciative of how wonderful this man was. He considered it an amazing change of pace considering the attitude he’d been given the last two days. Uri was a ray of sunshine. “So you’re Levi’s uncle? And you work here?” Erwin asked curiously. He figured he could take the opportunity to learn more about Levi’s current life.

“I am and I do.” Uri confirmed with a nod. “I retired a few months ago and Levi’s receptionist quit on him. So I offered. Kenny still works and staying home by myself all day didn’t sound like fun at all. Now I get to see my nephew every day, my husband brings me lunch, and I get to play with kids that come in.” Uri was so wholesome. Erwin was melting. 

“That’s so wonderful. Sounds like you found the perfect job for now.” He watched Uri nod his head in agreement. 

“I did. Would you like a lemon bar? I made them last night.” Uri grabbed the plate and held it up. Erwin’s eyes shined brightly.

“I would.” His mouth watered as he reached for one and took a bite. If Erwin had thought he heard angels singing when he first saw Levi, nothing compared to just how delectable Uri’s lemon bars were. Erwin felt like he needed a moment to himself after that, but they were both interrupted suddenly. 

“What is happening right now?!” Levi snapped. Erwin’s eyes popped open and he looked at Levi with a little bit of crust crumbs on his lip. 

“Nothing.” He denied immediately, feeling like he’d just been caught doing something unspeakable. 

“Be nice, Levi.” Uri warned. Erwin felt a little better knowing this really wonderfully sweet old man was defending him. It took everything Erwin had not to hide his six foot two self behind this five foot man.

“Be ni-? What?!” Levi stared at Uri with an open mouth. “Yes, be nice. You don’t know. He could be a potential client.” Uri explained simply.  
“A potential- if this man needs legal representation, it is because the coffee he spilled on me had so much sugar in it, it gave my clavicle a cavity.” Levi grit his teeth. 

“Dear lord, you always did have your uncle’s dramatics.” Uri rolled his eyes.   
“Don’t compare me to Kenny!” Levi’s voice squeaked. Erwin had to cover his mouth to suppress a laugh. “Oh don’t you even-“ Levi narrowed his eyes. “What do you want now?” He finally asked. Erwin smiled a little and shrugged his shoulders.

“To formally apologize to you about the suit and coffee. I’ve been having some weird days and I zoned out.” Erwin explained.   
“Some weird days? You’re telling me you’re not weird every day? Because I’m finding that hard to believe.” Levi responded.

“Levi!” Uri smacked the top of his nephew’s hand. “Ouch! What?!” He snipped back at Uri. 

“This man is apologizing to you. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. He came all the way here again to make sure you knew and you’re being rude.” Uri pouted. Levi and Uri stared at each other, neither one backing down. Erwin felt like he was imposing on a moment. He stood there awkwardly until, inevitably, Levi caved first. 

Erwin heard the smaller man let go of an annoyed exhale. “Yeah whatever, it’s fine.” He wouldn’t look at Erwin though.  
“Did you like any of the tea in the bag I brought?” The blond pushed back a little.

“Oh you bought him apology tea! That’s so sweet. Levi loves tea.” Uri clapped his hands together happily.   
“Uri, please.” Levi whined. The older man simply shrugged his shoulders. “I.. guess.” Levi answered Erwin stubbornly, clearly only giving Erwin humane responses after being chastised by his uncle. The thought made Erwin smile anyway.

“I’m very glad, but I’d really like to make it up to you by buying you dinner. I can’t replace the suit as much as I’d like to, but I can afford a pretty good meal.” He extended the offer to which Levi immediately shot down.   
“No.” Levi turned around to leave until Uri stopped him. 

“Levi!” His uncle stood up with his hands on his hips. “Oh. My. God. What now?” Levi whipped around to look at Uri.  
“A very handsome young man not only apologizes to you twice and with tea he bought with his own money, but also asks you to dinner and you say no?” Uri gasped in disbelief. 

Erwin blushed a deep pink hearing Uri call him handsome. Levi stammered for a response but Uri had clearly embarrassed him. 

“Why.. why would you say that?!” Levi stared at his uncle with wide eyes. “It’s an apology dinner, not a date.” He clarified. Uri shrugged. 

“All the more reason to say yes. You’re so quick to turn away from everything. Pull your head out of your butt and take the invitation. And if you don’t, I’ll tell your mother you denied a chance to dine with a very.. very good looking man.” Uri smiled smugly.

“Do not- do not do that.” Levi warned quietly. If his mother found out, he’d never hear the end of it. “Oh my- fuc- fine!” Levi snapped. “But you can schedule it with Uri. I have things to do.” Levi left them standing there without another word. Erwin couldn’t believe what had just happened. He didn’t even know what to say so he looked back at Uri who was already sitting down and pulling up Levi’s schedule, smiling like nothing noteworthy happened.

“So, are you free Friday after six?”


End file.
